343 Industries has done a fantastic job with this latest chapter in the series. This is my favorite video game series, and it is the series that got me into video gaming, so hearing that a new developer would be replacing Bungie worried me. Thankfully 343 made a game that is just as good as the majority of the Bungie made Halo games.

The campaign manages to feel familiar and fresh all343 Industries has done a fantastic job with this latest chapter in the series. This is my favorite video game series, and it is the series that got me into video gaming, so hearing that a new developer would be replacing Bungie worried me. Thankfully 343 made a game that is just as good as the majority of the Bungie made Halo games.

The campaign manages to feel familiar and fresh all that the same time thanks to the way is holds onto the classic Halo gameplay while simultaneously adding it's own unique features. With new weapons to experiment with and new enemies to fight, there's always something exciting around the next corner. To make things better it is all backed up by some of the best looking graphics to ever grace the 360. The only complaint I have with the campaign is in regards to the story. Just like in Halo 3 the story dives off into the most confusing and under-explained sci-fi mumbo jumbo out there. That being said the campaign does manage to have some emotionality thanks to the complex look at the relationship between Cortana and Master Chief. So while the story does disappoint, the gameplay succeeds here making one awesome campaign.

As far as the multiplayer goes I find it to be the most fun in the series yet. Everything is excellently balanced, the new features are excellent, the game modes are fantastic, and the maps are incredibly well done. The maps are only made better and more diverse thanks to the returning Forge mode. Honestly I am loving the multiplayer more than ever. It's tighter and it no longer feels like you are burning through a huge amount of ammo just to drop a foe. I think this is the best multiplayer the series has seen and it will keep you busy for countless hours. I really can't find a flaw with it.

As far as cooperative gameplay goes the series Firefight mode has been replaced with the new "Spartan Ops" mode. This mode is a noticeable improvement of what the series has previously offered in terms of cooperative gameplay and is an absolute blast to play with friends or even by yourself. However this mode does come with one pretty big flaw: there's no way to play this mode offline either cooperatively or solo. This actually prevented me from being able to play it locally in couch co-op form and is a pretty big oversight on 343's part. That being said it's not a deal breaker and doesn't ruin the fun that can be had with this mode. It's just a disappointing non-inclusion, especially when you remember that Bungie's Firefight mode allowed for offline play.

Overall this is a fantastic game and in a lot of ways one of the best games in the series. With a fantastic campaign, the series best multiplayer, and countless hours worth of content this is one of the best FPS games on the market and one of the best games on the 360. Halo fans no longer need to worry about whether or not 343 can handle the series, because they have proved they can even if they did include some minor flaws. I give it a score of 9.9/10-Near-Perfect.…Expand

Following the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since itsFollowing the highly publicised change of developer the gaming world was rightly curious as to how one of its biggest selling franchises would fare following the departure of its creators Bungie. Despite now being developed by 343 industries however this is still, for better or worse, the same Halo we've all seen before and those that criticise the series for not really evolving since its Xbox debut over a decade ago certainly make a fair point. As a result this fourth 'mainline' title is not really going to be of any interest to those that didn't like previous installments.

Having said all that Halo 4 is still undeniably a great package and certainly offers better value for money than many modern video games. The main campaign itself will last most players somewhere around the 10 hour mark depending on the difficulty setting and their level of skill and can be played either solo or with up to three other players. As with every previous game it is at its best when offering open areas in which to fight the array of enemies and their vehicles and to this day there are few better experiences in the FPS genre than when Halo gets the balance just right. For me the game forces players to spend a little too long inside long thin corridors and smaller indoor areas as in these instances the freedom to tackle the battle the way you want to is removed and it simply is not as much fun to play, hopefully this is something that can be addressed in the inevitable sequels.

On top of the campaign Halo 4 also provides a series of 'Spartan Op' missions. Each of these lasts between 15 and 30 minutes and can again be tackled either alone or in multi-player. The idea seems to have been taken from the special ops missions featured in the Call of Duty series and provide the player with various tasks such as clearing an area of enemies or destroying set objectives. Admittedly maps are reused throughout these ops but it is hard to complain when they can all be downloaded for free.
The final part of this generous package is the competitive multi-player. All the usual modes, as well as a few surprises, are present and correct and the solid gunplay still translates well. Controversially Halo 4 has again taken a page out of the Call of Duty handbook with weapons and perks now being unlocked as the player levels up. I was never a huge fan of the online multi-player in the previous installments anyway but purists will understandable be disappointed and it is certainly a shame to see yet another game attempt to imitate Activisions all conquering behemoth.

All in all then this is a safe but promising start for 343 industries and the wealth of options and modes will provide most with hour upon hour of gameplay.…Expand

I was hoping this halo would get me back into the franchise, but its just more of the same. So if you are a halo fan you'll love it. But if your not, this probably won't change your mind. Still a solid game though.

First of all, I'd like to just say that Halo 4 is perhaps THE BEST MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER on seventh-generation consoles due to the amount of variety. The weapons, game modes, extensive stats tracking, theatre mode, forge mode, awesome matchmaking and perfect pacing. Weapons are not only varied but balanced same with vehicles. The game modes such as SWAT are about barebones skill andFirst of all, I'd like to just say that Halo 4 is perhaps THE BEST MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER on seventh-generation consoles due to the amount of variety. The weapons, game modes, extensive stats tracking, theatre mode, forge mode, awesome matchmaking and perfect pacing. Weapons are not only varied but balanced same with vehicles. The game modes such as SWAT are about barebones skill and accuracy; whilst Griffball is plain fun. 24 player deathmatches with vehicles are hectic without being broken. The class system is not overcomplicated nor does it put players at a disadvantage. Killstreaks simply provide weapon drops not automatic kills. The excitement, health system and "perks" as well as the ability to sprint are all excellent additions to the already complete multiplayer package with a solid progression system. This is as complete as multiplayer shooters get. Not only are the game mechanics and controls perfect, the "menu" stuff such as file share and custom game modes which allow you to fully change every miniscule aspect of the game from health and speed to round system, objective and weapon damage and restrictions etc. However, whilst the multiplayer is a complete and highly refined package, the campaign is hit-and-miss. There are far too many enemies without a break at many points, and despite there being a new faction as well as the Covenant, their weapons feel like bland copies of Covenant weapons but with an orange glow. Furthermore, the new enemies take way too many shots to kill and it's hard to tell when they're about to die, so playing through the first three levels felt like a boring chore rather than exciting and intense. The story was promising but felt under-developed. There was just too much action but not enough explanation the story felt tacked on even though it could have been amazing. I couldn't feel any empathy for Cortana and Master Chief because there just wasn't enough cutscenes and storytelling. Gameplay and level design are a bit cliché compared to Reach, and in some levels I thought I was playing Prey rather than Halo. Sure, there are some good levels and I'm sure die-hard Halo fans will love it, but anyone who's only got a mild or passive interest in Halo should consider Reach instead. Overall Halo 4 is a fantastic shooter and perhaps the best game in the series, but it's not a huge leap from Halo Reach in any department.…Expand

Overall, I really enjoyed Halo 4. While I did not enjoy as much as Halo 3 it was still a great game. It had its problems but it was a lot of fun. The single player was finally good. The multiplayer was fun and Spartan Ops adds legs to the game. While there are things I would have liked the game there is a lot of good stuff in here. Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo 3 and hopefully 343 canOverall, I really enjoyed Halo 4. While I did not enjoy as much as Halo 3 it was still a great game. It had its problems but it was a lot of fun. The single player was finally good. The multiplayer was fun and Spartan Ops adds legs to the game. While there are things I would have liked the game there is a lot of good stuff in here. Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo 3 and hopefully 343 can keep it up with Halo 5 & 6.…Expand

Halo 4 presents the most polished and engaging Halo to date. 343 took Halo's core and added vulnerability. Master Chief has never been so humanized, and it makes for fantastic cut scenes. Not only is the story the best of the series, but the boring Covenant aren't the main enemy anymore. The new Promethean Knight is every bit as vicious as the Elite, but varies in its combat methods.Halo 4 presents the most polished and engaging Halo to date. 343 took Halo's core and added vulnerability. Master Chief has never been so humanized, and it makes for fantastic cut scenes. Not only is the story the best of the series, but the boring Covenant aren't the main enemy anymore. The new Promethean Knight is every bit as vicious as the Elite, but varies in its combat methods. Many times I was surprised by how I was wailed on by these very formidable opponents. I can go on and on about how great this game is. But to sum it all up, I've been playing Halo since the beginning. Every game has been fun and worthwhile, but none of the games invoked the emotion and investment Halo 4 has out of me. Add a splendidly varied campaign in terms of encounters and vehicle play to the mix, more than even Reach. I loved the story, and it's only getting better with the promised 5th & 6th games. Composer Neil Davidge also brought the score of Halo to a new high. The sounds and music of Halo 4 are phenomenal. Best game of the series. 343 have set their own bar, and to surpass it would be to make perhaps the greatest game ever.…Expand

This is best Xbox 360 execlusive . This is amazing game . Amazyng storyline , very very good gameplay and this game one of best of 2012 . Halo 4 better than Halo reach . This is best Halo game with Halo 2 in my opinion . Halo 4 one of bestselling Xbox 360 game .

This is a tough game to review because there are so many different elements to it so it really depends on perspective and priority. I'll explain. There are essentially three parts of the game, the campaign, the Spartan Ops, and the multiplayer. If I were to great them separately, I would have to give the campaign an 8, the Spartan Ops a 4, and the multiplayer a 5. The Campaign has greatThis is a tough game to review because there are so many different elements to it so it really depends on perspective and priority. I'll explain. There are essentially three parts of the game, the campaign, the Spartan Ops, and the multiplayer. If I were to great them separately, I would have to give the campaign an 8, the Spartan Ops a 4, and the multiplayer a 5. The Campaign has great plot and character development, which I love. The dynamic between Chief and Cortana is fascinating and is what moves the story along. However, it's ridiculously short, the gameplay is very fluid but repetitive and full of busy work, the enemy weaponry is scaled horribly, the AI is pathetic, and the ending is anti-climactic. The Spartan Ops has absolutely no story whatsoever and isn't at all what 343 made it sound like. As for the multiplayer, 343 ruined this experience. They essentially copied CoD in every way they could, which is also something they did with the ending of the campaign. All of that being said, I am more of a single player gamer so I can't judge each element of the game equally. The campaign takes priority.…Expand

If you enjoyed the previous Halo games im pretty sure you will be disappointed with this one. The story in Halo 4 continues freshly from when Halo 3 ended and the gameplay feels smoother and faster, but I couldn't help but just feel disappointed, the game feels linear and bland. The Promethean knights (the new enemy) are just annoying, they are an unwelcome edition to Halo, I enjoyedIf you enjoyed the previous Halo games im pretty sure you will be disappointed with this one. The story in Halo 4 continues freshly from when Halo 3 ended and the gameplay feels smoother and faster, but I couldn't help but just feel disappointed, the game feels linear and bland. The Promethean knights (the new enemy) are just annoying, they are an unwelcome edition to Halo, I enjoyed fighting brutes more. Don't believe those people giving this game 9's and 10's, they are probably working for 343 industries trying to get money off us or Halo 4 is their first Halo game they've ever played.…Expand

The critics seemed to fall head over heels over this game; the fact of the matter is that it is a GOOD game, but not a GREAT one. I feel that it is a 'safe' sequel, one that doesn't deviate from anybody's expectations. Here lies the problem, FPS has evolved exponentially in the last couple of years. Sure, HALO 4 has the best graphics since UNCHARTED 3, but heck, it's no different fromThe critics seemed to fall head over heels over this game; the fact of the matter is that it is a GOOD game, but not a GREAT one. I feel that it is a 'safe' sequel, one that doesn't deviate from anybody's expectations. Here lies the problem, FPS has evolved exponentially in the last couple of years. Sure, HALO 4 has the best graphics since UNCHARTED 3, but heck, it's no different from COD with its scripted events, and fast paced gun play. If you want innovation, try DISHONORED instead. Still a good buy though; but don't expect anything more.…Expand

I was very surprised in how much I would love this game. The single player steals the show as it shows a story not about master chief, but cortanas. The stronger bond that develops between the two is something the original trilogy did, but not as much. The story itself though works in everyway, except you have to know a few things from the expanded lore. The multiplayer is pretty good. TheI was very surprised in how much I would love this game. The single player steals the show as it shows a story not about master chief, but cortanas. The stronger bond that develops between the two is something the original trilogy did, but not as much. The story itself though works in everyway, except you have to know a few things from the expanded lore. The multiplayer is pretty good. The reason why people didn't like it because it had a few cod perks in it, which is a bit annoying, but something I got over of. And the new Spartan ops mode is fun to play with freinds, but it loses replayibility after you beat the story. Overall, halo 4 is honestly my favourite game in the series.…Expand

Halo 4 isn't as bad as everyone says it is. It's campaign story is Great at what it does - fleshing out chiefs character - and the multiplayer is different but still reasonably fun. Graphics look good especially baring in mind they're running on Reach's engine! The new set of guns are pretty cool, but AI was in the game was pretty average. Gameplay had a nice variety of stages, but tradingHalo 4 isn't as bad as everyone says it is. It's campaign story is Great at what it does - fleshing out chiefs character - and the multiplayer is different but still reasonably fun. Graphics look good especially baring in mind they're running on Reach's engine! The new set of guns are pretty cool, but AI was in the game was pretty average. Gameplay had a nice variety of stages, but trading the scarab boarding for the Lech boarding, awful move. It was so boring. Now multiplayer was pretty fast paced, but i didn't think it was on par with Reach's. The maps were pretty terrible for the most part too (the only good ones i can think of being are Longshore - i think it was called that, the snowy one - Haven and Ragnarok -a remake). The vehicles handles better though which was good online though, especially for races. However 343 did lie when saying races would be in the game (when they weren't). Forge was pretty decent though, i found it a lot better to create stuff in but i still found Forge World a better place to create maps in albeit being harder. It's still a fun game, but i think the series peaked at Reach.…Expand

Halo 4 is a game that Halo fans, like myself, have waited years to play. The campaign's story is compelling as it initiates a new era for the Master Chief. The multiplayer is great also, but some may not like a lot of the changes. All and all, this is a true Halo experience.

An extremely good game with superb level design. Its storytelling and gameplay are also great with improved gunplay and movement mechanics. However, it doesn't match the original trilogy's quality. It's not as long and doesn't have nearly the same lasting impact those games left behind. You'll also miss the original trilogy's musical score because although this game's is good it's notAn extremely good game with superb level design. Its storytelling and gameplay are also great with improved gunplay and movement mechanics. However, it doesn't match the original trilogy's quality. It's not as long and doesn't have nearly the same lasting impact those games left behind. You'll also miss the original trilogy's musical score because although this game's is good it's not nearly as masterful. It also doesn't have as much epic grandeur as those games even if it has more than most others. The bottom line: An excellent game living in the shadows of its predecessors.…Expand

*Stands up and claps* As a fan of Halo from the very first game back in 2001 for the original Xbox the formula was becoming tired, the levels bland and the action becoming recycled. After Bungie leave the Halo franchise behind 343 Industries has picked up the IP and made a masterpiece.
Set 4 years after the finale of Halo 3, Cortana wakes Chief after the Dawn is attacked by a Covenant*Stands up and claps* As a fan of Halo from the very first game back in 2001 for the original Xbox the formula was becoming tired, the levels bland and the action becoming recycled. After Bungie leave the Halo franchise behind 343 Industries has picked up the IP and made a masterpiece.
Set 4 years after the finale of Halo 3, Cortana wakes Chief after the Dawn is attacked by a Covenant fleet for them then to crash land on a Forerunner planet named Requiem. After Chief accidentally awakens a Forerunner warrior, The Didact, it becomes a race against time to save Earth, get off Requiem and save the dying Cortana. A touching, well written and amazingly pieced together story with mind blowing graphical standard for a 7 year old console.
The replacement of Firefight with Spartan Ops was a good swap with what will total to a free weekly download side campaign alongside the standard Multiplayer, Forge and Theatre makes Halo 4 a package well worth the pricetag with many months, maybe even years of re-playability in one £40 package.…Expand

Game of the Year...This Halo is by far the best of the series. Stunning graphics, a great story, the usual amazing Halo Multiplayer, and Spartan Ops is a good addition. If you have an Xbox, you MUST buy this game! An instant classic. My choice for best game of 2012.

I was hoping this would be my GOTY 2012 but just a few games were a little better. Okay this may not be the best Halo, but 343 you have didn't let this game crash and burn, you are pushing the series to the next generation of Halos. Campaigns really good but is not as gripping as other Halo campaigns and got a bit too serious on the story. But its their first Halo so they will learn likeI was hoping this would be my GOTY 2012 but just a few games were a little better. Okay this may not be the best Halo, but 343 you have didn't let this game crash and burn, you are pushing the series to the next generation of Halos. Campaigns really good but is not as gripping as other Halo campaigns and got a bit too serious on the story. But its their first Halo so they will learn like Bungie did. Multiplayer is a bit of a copy of CoD, but probally the biggest pushes to the multiplayer since Halo 2 and love custom loadouts idea. Spartan Ops is a great new feature and a nice change to firefight. Overall Campaign really good but 2 issus stop it from becoming like Halo campaign good. Multiplayer is amazing step to the multiplayer for a very exiting future for Halo. Spartan Ops is great change to Firefight. Halo may not be GOTY for me but its in my top 3 games this year. Halo 4 9.0/10…Expand

Halo 4 is by all accounts an exceptional game. 343 Industries first internally developed Halo game impresses on pretty much every front. From high quality production values, to a buttery smooth framerate 99.999% of the time, to the best graphics the series has ever seen, to a more interesting story between Chief and Cortana, etc. Halo 4 is Halo at its best.

Firstly, Halo 4 plays like aHalo 4 is by all accounts an exceptional game. 343 Industries first internally developed Halo game impresses on pretty much every front. From high quality production values, to a buttery smooth framerate 99.999% of the time, to the best graphics the series has ever seen, to a more interesting story between Chief and Cortana, etc. Halo 4 is Halo at its best.

Firstly, Halo 4 plays like a dream. Similar to previous Halo's, gun combat is very satisfying, but now it's more visceral and impactful than ever before. If anyone says this is Call of Duty, that's hogwash. Other than the inclusion of sprinting, this very much feels like Halo, just improved and more polished than ever. The action is much more buttery smooth than Reach was, which makes playing a complete pleasure.

Secondly, the graphics are a massive upgrade from previous Halo's. Previous Halo's lacked quite a bit when it came to character models and animations, but Halo 4 has some of the best looking character models and animations in all of gaming. It's shocking just how much of a leap these two things are from the Halo's that came before it. Going from Halo 3 to Halo 4 shows almost a full generational leap in things like lighting, character models, and animations. In addition, Halo 4 runs in native 720p resolution, which is a first for the Halo franchise, as Halo 3, ODST, and Reach all ran at upscaled 720p. To get that full native 720p resolution, Halo 4 is locked at 30 frames-per-second, and it's a wise choice. Unlike Reach, which had a framerate that varied wildly at times, Halo 4 is pretty much consistent and performs beautifully, even when under pressure from a lot of on-screen action. 343 Industries should be commended for such a technological feat as their first project. It's very impressive.

Thirdly, the story's actually incredibly compelling. While some things aren't always crystal clear, it's mostly smooth and cohesive the majority of the time. The relationship between Master Chief and Cortana will hook you from the beginning of the game and until you reach the credits at the finale. Halo 4 is a tightly knit production that offers excellence in story, visual quality, and sound quality. It's truly a masterful game from a first time studio.

As someone who has enjoyed the other Halo games this generation, I didn't fall in love with them, so it's shocking to me that Halo 4 has hit the nail on the head in pretty much everything it set out to do. Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo: Combat Evolved. 343 Industries has made their mark on the industry, so I truly can't wait to see what they do next.…Expand

Not for a single moment I had any idea what my objectives meant or where I was. The story makes no sense at all, or at least the presentation is very broken. The game is VERY repetitive and level designs can't hold a candle for games like Metroid Prime. Graphics are good but overrated, since the levels have nothing to see. Controls work fine but the jump mechanics are still ridiculous.

I certainly enjoyed the game overall but not as much as i would of liked, great story as per usual and graphics were fantastic. just lacked that special feel of previous games such as Halo 2 and Combat evolved. 8/10

What do you expect from a Halo game? If you expect a rock solid Sci-fi shooter then your in for a treat. Halo 4 is one of the best shooters of the year, hands down. Overall, if you don't want a lengthy review, it excels in everything it does. Sound feels realistic and adds to the atmosphere. Guns sound like they should. Its something you don't expect, to be wowed by a games sound, but itsWhat do you expect from a Halo game? If you expect a rock solid Sci-fi shooter then your in for a treat. Halo 4 is one of the best shooters of the year, hands down. Overall, if you don't want a lengthy review, it excels in everything it does. Sound feels realistic and adds to the atmosphere. Guns sound like they should. Its something you don't expect, to be wowed by a games sound, but its something that really stands out and adds to the impact you feel when you fire a gun. Visually its stunning. The graphics are vibrant and often make you feel like you have to stop and appreciate the landscape in front of you. It especially shows when you look at the games guns. When you pick up the games guns they flick into life, bending and clicking into place on their own. Its amazing. The noise and style of these guns sends me back to my times playing Star Wars Battlefront, which certainly isn't a bad thing. The multiplayer is excellent. Matchs are perfectly paced due to the size of the maps and guns you possess. Much better than the unfair chaos of CoD. Co-op(i'll get to the story in a second) is so very, very fun. Plenty of laughs to be had here. But I had one problem with this though. We started from the beginning. Master chief is woken by Cortana. He gets out the cryo sleep and has a chat with her. "Jameson", as I was called, woke up just after chief and opens up his pod. WHO IS HE(/them if more than one)? They aren't ever talked to by chief or Cortana. I would have like it if 343 put the effort in to give this/these sidekicks a back story. I mean, in the cut-scenes where do they go? Is "Jameson" a forgotten hero? I remember you "Jameson". The story is a bit too much like Portal for my liking. Baring in mind that Portal is one of my favorite games. Cortana has over done her stay as a computer and is slowly turning crazy. Making things harder for you on your than they should be. But the story is still good, none the less. What you do in the story however occasionally lacks the innovation of the other Halo's held. It follows your generic FPS fashion in 2/3 of what you'll be doing. You know the drill? Walk down a corridor, in Halos case a very wide corridor, and shoot the baddies. But due to everything I previously said, it doesn't get as repetitive as I have previously seen. So overall is a consistent package which is definitely worth your buck.…Expand

Copy/Paste to all Halo reviews after all these years: I didn't have a 360 for a few years (played 3 and ODST). In the meantime I played all sorts of fps- COD, BF, Killzone (which is awesome), Resistance, and every single other one. And coming back to Halo when I rebought a 360 was like the greatest homecoming ever. Unlike those other games, every Halo battle is like a chess match waitingCopy/Paste to all Halo reviews after all these years: I didn't have a 360 for a few years (played 3 and ODST). In the meantime I played all sorts of fps- COD, BF, Killzone (which is awesome), Resistance, and every single other one. And coming back to Halo when I rebought a 360 was like the greatest homecoming ever. Unlike those other games, every Halo battle is like a chess match waiting to happen. And once you truly know every enemy and every weapon, you fall into a sweet spot of gaming that is possibly the best of all action games ever made. It's just the best. Great now I have to copy and paste this 4 more times.…Expand

It's a great game but nothing like the previous excluding Halo Wars and Halo 3: ODST. the graphics kill in this game. It's go **** beautiful to look at. I really like this game and want to love it but there's not the same feeling as with the other 4

Halo 4 in many retrospects is a game marred with sighed expectations. The question frequently asked is "Do we really need another one?". While it may sound arbitrary in contrast to how Master Chief's story ends, Halo 4 is a fresh and vivid, if not underwhelming game. To begin, Microsoft sent alot of money towards to the newfound caretakers of the Halo name, 343 Industries, to ensure itHalo 4 in many retrospects is a game marred with sighed expectations. The question frequently asked is "Do we really need another one?". While it may sound arbitrary in contrast to how Master Chief's story ends, Halo 4 is a fresh and vivid, if not underwhelming game. To begin, Microsoft sent alot of money towards to the newfound caretakers of the Halo name, 343 Industries, to ensure it looked its best. And boy it sure did. Halo 4 is stunning even on the aging Xbox 360, it stands as one of the best looking console games out there.
The story this time around focuses on the human nature of Master Chief rather than the silent protagonist we are used to. His relationship with Cortana is a nuanced, if not an iffy one since I this is the only game with Master Chief saying more than 8 lines of dialogue. The plot moves at a brisk pace, but it reaches a satisfying conclusion that is marred by one of the more anti climatic boss battles in Halo memory. But how does it play? Well, if you consider the usual gun, grenade, and melee mechanics brilliant, then you'll love this game even more. However the weapons pack a better punch, and enemy A.I. is improved. That said it doesn't derail from the fact it's been the same thing we've been doing since 2001 with the first Halo.
It certainly isn't the best of the series, but when you pack in a newly remastered forge mode. A rather dull Spartan Ops, and a reinvigorated multiplayer, people are bound to come back for more. For others like me, I feel the Halo train should've stopped with Halo: Reach, but who's complaining?…Expand

In my opinion, this is the best Halo game out of Halo 1,2, and 3. It has a strong story, very good voice acting, and spectacular graphics. The ending of the campaign will hit you hard, I guarantee it. The only thing this game lacks is the firefight mode, which is a really fun aspect of a Halo game. 9/10 (Awesome)

What can I say about this game? I have mixed feelings... Playing halo from day one, I was already in love with the series no matter what. But when this 4th Halo came out, I was a little disappointed. This game is so massively multiplayer it's almost impossible to get any achievements or progress in the game without someone playing with you! Multiplayer is a great as ever and the campaignWhat can I say about this game? I have mixed feelings... Playing halo from day one, I was already in love with the series no matter what. But when this 4th Halo came out, I was a little disappointed. This game is so massively multiplayer it's almost impossible to get any achievements or progress in the game without someone playing with you! Multiplayer is a great as ever and the campaign is good, although a little short.…Expand

A game that is incredibly outstanding and exciting.Killing aliens and more more is very fun.I don't get it why it has a mixed review in the users.This should be high review,It is an excellent game.I am telling you guys go buy this or download this now and try playing It.It will be worth your time.

I've only gotten about 4 and a half hours of gameplay under my belt in the single player campaign of Halo 4 but I've come away with several early - and mostly negative - impressions. Remember these are just impressions and NOT designed to be a full review which means my score may change at a later date. Also, this will be long and Metacritic's lack of carriage returns may make it difficultI've only gotten about 4 and a half hours of gameplay under my belt in the single player campaign of Halo 4 but I've come away with several early - and mostly negative - impressions. Remember these are just impressions and NOT designed to be a full review which means my score may change at a later date. Also, this will be long and Metacritic's lack of carriage returns may make it difficult to read - as usual, I will delineate paragraphs with several pipe characters. |||| First, it's clear Halo 4 uses a modified version of Unreal Engine 3. This doesn't come as a surprise to me as I seem to recall that the engine, itself, was one of the few things Bungie got to keep when they broke off from Microsoft. However, typical Unreal Engine issues like texture pop in and terrible in game text overlays are prevalent throughout the game, often to the detriment of gameplay. |||| Graphically, the game looks nice except for the fact they went crazy with lens flares and bloom effects. I read one user review who made a similar complaint by stating that "if you try to scope in to snipe, your eyeballs will get burned out of your sockets". It may sound like an exaggeration but it is not. The game is heavy on in your face lighting effects which often blind you even when brightness is turned down to its lowest setting in the game options. The best way I can describe it is the same kind of effect you get if you're facing east as the sun comes up over the horizon or if you're driving east into the early morning sun. The glare blinds and washes everything out. |||| The music is decent but it lacks the punch and significance of the scores of the previous Halo titles. A lot of that is because the composer replaced orchestral arrangements with electronic ones. It's a better score than most games but it just doesn't live up to the quality we became accustomed to by the former musical masters of Halo, Marty O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori. Sound effects are disappointing overall. Guns, especially the human/UNSC ones, sound like toys rather than weapons and vehicles sound "off", for lack of a better way to describe them. |||| Speaking of weapons and vehicles, what a disappointment! The Forerunner weapons absolutely suck when you use them but they can two shot you when the enemy AI uses them. This is undoubtedly a byproduct of playing on Legendary difficulty, but that still doesn't excuse the fact that I feel as though I'd be more effective throwing stones than using a boltshot pistol or the lightrifle. Human weapons are vastly underpowered (except the Battle Rifle, which you don't find often) while Covenant weapons are quite powerful (remember, this is regarding campaign, not multiplayer). The Covenant Carbine, which has always been a single shot assault rifle (think of the M1 Garand), can double as a sniper rifle in this iteration of the game. Vehicles, by contrast, handle much differently than in past titles. The Covenant's Banshee and Ghost feel slow and sluggish while the UNSC's Warthog is quick to lose control and go flipping down the path. |||| I haven't really messed with multiplayer much but, so far, it looks like they've tried cloning Call of Duty's "loadout" style with Halo's sci-fi trappings. This doesn't surprise me too much as we started to see this with Halo: Reach while it was still under Bungie's leadership but multiplayer now feels like 343 simply cloned Modern Warfare and called it a day. Even Spartan Ops is basically just a copy of Call of Duty's Spec Ops mode. |||| As a self-confessed Halo fanboy (it's one of the few franchises that I have every single title for), I'm growing increasingly disappointed with Halo 4 as I play it. 343 Industries didn't take any real risks with the franchise nor did they attempt to make it their own. They merely copied elements of what made Halo popular, copied other popular shooter elements for multiplayer, then covered the game in high gloss. |||| Hopefully it gets better. Hopefully I won't run into more quick time events (which have no place in this franchise). At this point, hope is all I have.…Expand

This game plays very similiar to the other Halo games with its face paced combat, excessive dying, same enemies and an addition to a few knew ones. In fact, the game plays out so "the same" that it seems like the Halo series is now "the never ending story". And I think this is the disappoint that I have with the game in the underwhelming adversary that follows the same potline as theThis game plays very similiar to the other Halo games with its face paced combat, excessive dying, same enemies and an addition to a few knew ones. In fact, the game plays out so "the same" that it seems like the Halo series is now "the never ending story". And I think this is the disappoint that I have with the game in the underwhelming adversary that follows the same potline as the first three games. There is a deeper interaction with Master Chief and Cortana, however, that alone is not enough to make the game really interesting. When a game is only six hours long, you need a story to compensate the short game play. This one wasn't as bad as O.D.S.T, but not much better.…Expand

I love this game! This is by far the best Halo in the series!!! Multiplayer is well balanced and plays incredibly. I love the Halo story and this was a great part of it. The graphics were AMAZING for the 360!!!! and Spartan Ops is pretty cool too!

I will start of by saying I am a long-time Halo fan, and I do not wish to write a negative review, just a critical review.

Halo 4 was the biggest disappointment of the Halo franchise, mainly due to the new developer's lack of experience. Before its release, 343 Industries gradually convinced me that they were worthy of continuing the Halo series, by making promises that appealed toI will start of by saying I am a long-time Halo fan, and I do not wish to write a negative review, just a critical review.

Halo 4 was the biggest disappointment of the Halo franchise, mainly due to the new developer's lack of experience. Before its release, 343 Industries gradually convinced me that they were worthy of continuing the Halo series, by making promises that appealed to long-time Halo fans, as well as newer players, which they would ultimately not be able to keep. For the first few weeks after release, Halo 4 entertained players with a basic, but enjoyable multiplayer, an adequate campaign, and Spartan Ops, what seemed to be a fun, unique experience. After about three weeks, I was able to complete the campaign (with little effort, on the highest difficulty), milk the mutiplayer experience for more than it was worth, and suffered through the horribly repetitive Spartan Ops episodes. Although Halo 4 was not a bad game, its lifespan was extremely short. I haven't played it but maybe once in the last month, and I still play previous Halo titles quite frequently. Major problems:
Halo 4's main problems mostly concern Spartan Ops and multiplayer.
Spartan Ops: It's quite clear why this part of the game receives so little recognition. Although is has a premise that has many possibilities, 343 fails to take advantage of what could have been the highlight of the game. Spartan Ops is fun for about two or three chapters, and then you realize that you have been doing the same thing, often on the same maps, repeatedly. Multiplayer: By far Halo's weakest multiplayer experience, Halo 4's multiplayer is generic and forgettable. Leading up to the release of Halo 4, 343 employees said they wanted to add features to the multiplayer that would attract new fans, which they did very successfully. They completely forget what is most important in Halo games, and what Bungie always did best; satisfying long-time fans. Halo 4 multiplayer gameplay is completely dominated by the ordinance system, that changes the focus of the game from skill-based gameplay, to a frenetic, unbalanced war of power weapons. It also removes excitement of competition over weapon placements on maps. Possibly the worst aspect of the multiplayer is the ranking system. After all matches, you will receive a predetermined sum of experience points, regardless of how well you performed in the match. This means that experienced players can expect to level just as fast as those who are playing the game for the first time. I have not completely lost faith in the future of the franchise. 343 has acknowledged the mistakes they made, and have promised to work on them. As a long time Halo fan, I am happy to see the franchise continue, but so far it hasn't quite compared to what Bungie left behind. Altogether, Halo 4 didn't meet expectations, but I believe that the remaining games still have great potential.…Expand

I liked Halo 1, didn't care for Halo 2 and Halo 3 was okay. It's actually really refreshing to see a shooter other than Call of Duty. The game is leagues ahead of any CoD game, and what I don't understand is that the overall "Professional" scores of this game is on par with Black Ops 2??? That doesn't make any sense considering CoD has been the same since MW2. Halo 4 is in somewhat theI liked Halo 1, didn't care for Halo 2 and Halo 3 was okay. It's actually really refreshing to see a shooter other than Call of Duty. The game is leagues ahead of any CoD game, and what I don't understand is that the overall "Professional" scores of this game is on par with Black Ops 2??? That doesn't make any sense considering CoD has been the same since MW2. Halo 4 is in somewhat the same as Halo 3 was but also a lot different. I liked how they gave MC more character development which was lacking in the previous titles. The game looks great, the sounds are awesome, the multiplayer is even better than the previous games, even though it's always been pretty good anyways. If you give this game a low score but give any Call of Duty game a good score then there's something wrong with you. Even Halo 1 still has more things you can do with than any CoD game. I own a PS3 and a 360 and I usually play my PS3 more, but I have to give this game my recommendation, it's probably the only shooter that is different than the others and is one of the best to date IMO. Keep in mind that this franchaise is what made the original Xbox and without this franchaise we might not even have the Xbox 360 today :)…Expand

Single player wise, Halo 4 fails to deliver. I always appreciated the backstory for the Halo universe, and the concept of humanity being on the edge of extinction due to war with the technologically superior Covenant. Now, you're not only fighting Covenant for some reason but also Forerunner dudes (all 3 types) because of... a prophecy? I guess? I don't know. Apparently if I had readSingle player wise, Halo 4 fails to deliver. I always appreciated the backstory for the Halo universe, and the concept of humanity being on the edge of extinction due to war with the technologically superior Covenant. Now, you're not only fighting Covenant for some reason but also Forerunner dudes (all 3 types) because of... a prophecy? I guess? I don't know. Apparently if I had read Glasslands it would have made more sense, but I'm not going to buy a book just to get the backstory for an FPS. The campaign is at times pretty, until you set foot into a Forerunner level and your eyes are burned from their sockets by the overwhelming blue/orange contrast. Fortunately single player ends fairly quickly, but not before you see Cortana become Master Chief's crazy emo girlfriend. The multiplayer manages to make up for the single player, and ironically seems to be where 343 focused most of the story. You've got the standard Halo MP fare, with a few modes that have been more fleshed out. The biggest addition is Spartan Ops, which replaces Firefight from previous titles. It's pretty decent on it's own, and plays a bit like the standalone co-op missions found in other titles like BF3, though the loss of Firefight does kind of suck. Maybe it'll be re-introduced? We can always hope. Anyway Halo 4 is a solid game if you're looking for just MP stuff, but I'm a bit worried about the direction 343 is taking the storyline.…Expand

I think that after Bungie had left Halo alone to pursue bigger and worse things, DESTINY. 343 should have left Chief's story alone as it's done and created a new character to follow. What I expected them to do was screw it up but they didn't. Halo 4 is a really good game that isn't quite as good as Halo 1 but is about on the same level as 2.

Verdict:
A great game that I expected not toI think that after Bungie had left Halo alone to pursue bigger and worse things, DESTINY. 343 should have left Chief's story alone as it's done and created a new character to follow. What I expected them to do was screw it up but they didn't. Halo 4 is a really good game that isn't quite as good as Halo 1 but is about on the same level as 2.

Verdict:
A great game that I expected not to like but I did... a lot
8/10…Expand

Overall a strong entry into the series (6.5/10). Regarding the campaign: Definitely a significant improvement over Halo: Reach as you simply do not sit back and fight wave after wave of enemies. Harkens back to Halo CE to me, but without the sense of exploration and wonder. Here you actually make forward progress most of the time. Problem is that if you go off the beaten path you'll dieOverall a strong entry into the series (6.5/10). Regarding the campaign: Definitely a significant improvement over Halo: Reach as you simply do not sit back and fight wave after wave of enemies. Harkens back to Halo CE to me, but without the sense of exploration and wonder. Here you actually make forward progress most of the time. Problem is that if you go off the beaten path you'll die quickly from the astounding increase in enemies and return far back as checkpoints aren't common. The covenant enemies are interesting and fun to fight as always but the new Promethean foes lack interesting characters and often stick to certain areas until you attack. There's also only 3 different types. Furthermore you're going to find yourself using mostly their weapons exclusively as there is no way you'll have ammo otherwise (get used to the lightrifle). Next, I felt the design and gameplay were decent, though it mostly revolves around moving from one button to the next to advance the story. Speaking of which... the story is weak. Very weak. And very difficult to understand if you have only played the games. It's just... strange. I felt the story in the previous 4 main games were good but this one was just kinda dumb and odd. I like the Chief but his relationship with the computer, Cortana, was weird and this new "threat"/ backstory (not explained in game at all though everyone seems to know it in the game) is dumb. This is obviously just my opinion......................... Regarding multiplayer: This is Halo 4's strong suit and will give it staying power. It's a strong experience with solid gameplay and options. Lots of character customization. Not much else to say. It's fun though still, imo, is not as good a Halo 2............................................. Regarding graphics and sound: graphics are fantastic. Best I've seen on xbox. The sound for some guns is great such as the DMR and sniper rifle. However on others it is totally horrendous such as the battle rifle............................... So overall a 6.5 as the campaign was an improvement but the lack of exploration/wonderment feeling, design mostly involving moving from one waypoint marker to the next, CG cutscenes used extensively, and the very weird, weak story really took away from the potential. The multiplayer is strong but I don't think it'll be something I keep going back to like Halo 2, a game I still find extremely satisfying. Personally recommend a rent.…Expand

doesn't matter what we say on here, they sold millions and made millions, they could give a **** less if they create **** games, as long as they make money. The Xbox 360 is extremely under powered, and has been showing its age for a very long time now. The art in this game was the only reason it looked good, otherwise the low res textures, jagged lines, and horrible fade distance justdoesn't matter what we say on here, they sold millions and made millions, they could give a **** less if they create **** games, as long as they make money. The Xbox 360 is extremely under powered, and has been showing its age for a very long time now. The art in this game was the only reason it looked good, otherwise the low res textures, jagged lines, and horrible fade distance just destroyed the graphics on this game. If you like games for combat and no other reason then this game will be perfect for you. If you like depth to the gameplay, and a story that is not serialized, and actually makes sense then this game will be VERY boring. And thats what this game is. Despite the things that it does well with the combat, sound effects, and art, the game in the end lacks an interesting story that makes sense, and has very shallow gameplay. Plus the main story is extremely short. This game can be beaten in a day. Why do they keep making this crap? And now that it has become serialized, its just going to get worse and worse.…Expand

This is definitely the Halo game I was waiting for! I was disappointed with Halo 3, but found some enjoyment in the prequels: Halo Reach, Halo Wars, and Halo 3 ODST. However, Halo 4 will never be better than Halo 2!

All the Halo you expect. This is a solid Halo entry and delivers everywhere a Halo game should. The lack of something significant that is new though limits it. It doesn't seem as addictive as Reach either. Hopefully Halo games aren't rolled out every year just for the sake of it like Call of Duty is (which is becoming increasingly tiring). I would like to see more thought go into the nextAll the Halo you expect. This is a solid Halo entry and delivers everywhere a Halo game should. The lack of something significant that is new though limits it. It doesn't seem as addictive as Reach either. Hopefully Halo games aren't rolled out every year just for the sake of it like Call of Duty is (which is becoming increasingly tiring). I would like to see more thought go into the next game in order to lift Halo back up to the level that Reach has made it's high point. The addition of new modes and features would make for a more enriched experience too.…Expand

Campaign was long and hard, but it was good and awesome how it finished. Legendary mode got 10x harder since Bungie on Halo Reach. Multilayer is fun, and they keep adding new game modes so players wont get bored. File Sharing was a issue but 4 or so months later they fixed and made sure it worked.. and now it does both on the game and website. The Halo way point app hasn't been updated yetCampaign was long and hard, but it was good and awesome how it finished. Legendary mode got 10x harder since Bungie on Halo Reach. Multilayer is fun, and they keep adding new game modes so players wont get bored. File Sharing was a issue but 4 or so months later they fixed and made sure it worked.. and now it does both on the game and website. The Halo way point app hasn't been updated yet to track stats in which it is sad but thats another thing. Overall its a good game, and we can now see that 343 is not just a Microsoft company but the future for Halo Series to come.…Expand

So, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, withSo, the sixth Halo game. I've been through Halo 1-3, ODST, and Reach. I've done my tours of duty with the UNSC, from the low-end low-budget beginning through the slick and polished latest. But this is different; Bungie has slipped its reins off the Halo horse, and MGS has taken over. How did they do? Very well, better than I expected. Let's take a look. Graphics are outstanding, with well-built levels that benefit from good artwork. Enemies (and allies) are correspondingly high-res, meaning that even on console, you won't have your immersion in the game wrecked by something on-camera that looks like a digital camera threw up on screen (we've all seen that...are you listening, Jurassic Park?). Weapon design has undergone a major overhaul, and one for the positive. I've previously had an intense dislike for non-human weapons in Halo, but this installment is different; Forerunner weapons are pretty sweet. Gameplay is well above average. Two missteps mar the game, though. First, the campaign is short. As in "we got it done on Legendary in six hours" short. Second, the storytelling, while not bad, is much thinner than previous Halo games. It's clear that Microsoft Game Studios wasn't as interested in telling an epic story as their predecessors. Even so, it's an enjoyable game that really is a must-play for Halo fans. Everybody else, it's a good shooter with challenge and finesse...just not a lot of single-player mileage in the tank. A fair 7 to Halo 4, and a "good job" to the folks at MGS responsible for it.…Expand

Graphics: Graphics are updated compared to Reach but they are still not on par with other best looking console titles. 9.
Sound: Nice Halo soundtrack, voice acting was good, no complains. 10.
Gameplay: It feels more accessible, the controls seem to have changed similar to Cod. Although it’s still the Halo flavor, and the online is still competitive and better than other FPSGraphics: Graphics are updated compared to Reach but they are still not on par with other best looking console titles. 9.
Sound: Nice Halo soundtrack, voice acting was good, no complains. 10.
Gameplay: It feels more accessible, the controls seem to have changed similar to Cod. Although it’s still the Halo flavor, and the online is still competitive and better than other FPS shooters. The game adds newer promethean weapons which I had a blast with; it’s a really polished Halo title, and probably the best yet. Biggest disappointment, no boss battles! Also, the gameplay is mainly fun in co-op, solo would need more of a mix up. 8.5.
Story: The story is much more interesting than any of the previous Halo’s but that’s not saying much. Master Chief is back, new planet, new species, new main boss enemy, but disappointing ending. 8.0.
Lasting Appeal: The game is worth the purchase, campaign, Spartan ops, and a competitive multiplayer much better than Call of Duty Black Ops 2. 10.
Overall Score: 9.1 out of 10.…Expand

Personally I thought Halo would die with Bungie, after a not-so-good remake of the first game by the hand of 343 I doubted the potential that this game would have, but I am happy to say, I was completely wrong. The first thing that stands out when you play Halo 4 are the visuals, this is by far the best looking game for the 360, it can even compete with PC graphics to a certain point sincePersonally I thought Halo would die with Bungie, after a not-so-good remake of the first game by the hand of 343 I doubted the potential that this game would have, but I am happy to say, I was completely wrong. The first thing that stands out when you play Halo 4 are the visuals, this is by far the best looking game for the 360, it can even compete with PC graphics to a certain point since the level of detail is amazing. The first thing I covered was the campaign, it was entertaining with a story now focused on Cortana and the forrunner awakening instead of Chief and the Halo rings. Prometheans stand out as the new enemies with some new challenges and badass weapons. Overall the campaign was great but it was a little short with only eight missions. However the next part makes up for it. Multiplayer is the star of this franchise since Halo 2, and it does not disappoint. There are various multiplayer modes, both old and new, which have excellent, faster, and more aggressive combat. Load-outs can now be created and selected and there are now powerful weapon drops, or ordinances, that are rewarded with kill streaks. One new vehicle has been added called the Mantis, which is a mech that is balanced enough to be badass yet destroyable. There are some great maps present such as the remake of Halo 3's Valhalla called Ragnarok, which is amazing. Also, there are now more than a single map for forge, and since most of the big team maps are massive there are good spots to be creative. The other multiplayer mode apart from the competitive modes is Spartan Ops. This mode is basically co-op missions with a unique story and with new episodes being released with time, the only problem I have with spartan ops is that with a few players I've had a great delay, making the game unplayable. Again, forge is better than ever, with some awesome maps, great new tools, and new options promoting creativity. This game has so much that I assure it will be completely worth whatever price it is where you live, 343 has done an amazing job and created one of my game of the year candidates.…Expand

A really good shooter. A good story, memorable characters, a really good soundtrack, some of the best visuals on the 360 and an extremely fun and addicting multi-player experience. While not an innovative title and adds nothing we never saw in the previous Halo titles, it's still a fun game to play through and if you invite your friends over, prepare to spend hours in this game.

The main plot premise is great - The Chief wakes up after four years of cryrosleep, only to find himself stranded on a world full of robots. What is wrong, you ask?
Story: 5/10
The story starts off great, but devolves into extreme confusion. After the first level, you rarely know what's going on, so you're forced to run and gun like a madman without knowing half of the story line. YouThe main plot premise is great - The Chief wakes up after four years of cryrosleep, only to find himself stranded on a world full of robots. What is wrong, you ask?
Story: 5/10
The story starts off great, but devolves into extreme confusion. After the first level, you rarely know what's going on, so you're forced to run and gun like a madman without knowing half of the story line. You literally end the game asking such questions as "Why is the Chief's armour changed?" or "Who was that Del Rio guy?"
Graphics: 10/10
Stunning and amazing, as usual with Halo games.
Gameplay: 4/10
Classic Halo + Halo: Reach + every COD game = Halo 4. This is a problem, because these are two separate gaming entities that should stay separated. It's just like putting Coke in a Mentos bottle, because it just doesn't mix, and the end result isn't too great. H4 retains the control scheme of classic Halo games with minor changes, but it introduces COD's cinematic sequences, perks, and care packages (called "ordinance" in this game). This in turn ruins the Halo feel of the game.
Multiplayer: 2/10
This is what really grinds my gears about Halo 4. Online has become a game of cat and mouse that is not longer fair, nor is it fun. Players can get a mini-shotgun of sorts almost from the beginning of their multiplayer experience, which makes the game very unbalanced. Whenever you try to play a game in the collectively called "War Games", the servers throw you in the middle of a match that you are losing by 40 or more points; you are often pitted up against players that are between SR100 to SR130. This happens so much in normal Slayer that I just play Infection, which is the only gametype to never have this problem. I hope this is fixed in H5, because I'm losing hope in 343.
Overall: 5/10
Halo 4 is not a bad game, as it is good in many aspects. However, there's more to hate than there is to like. Test H5 on a diehard Halo fan who doesn't like H4, just to see if they like it more than this game. If they do, test it some more and sell it. If they don't, take the game and throw it in the rubbish bin.…Expand

The most fantastic online shooter I've ever played. The introductions of loadouts and more customization made this a fantastic game to play online with friends sitting on the couch with you. Such a shame Halo 5 got rid of split-screen online.

Halo has always been one of my favorite game series always fun and exciting. If you are a Halo fan you have probably already pre-ordered the game or have already bought it great GAME JUST AS usual Halo's.

Let me first start by saying that I have never been a Halo fan having only played Halo 1 on the PC and not being very impressed with it. I also finished Halo 3 ODST on the Xbox and wasn't particularly impressed with that either.. Until now I haven't seen anything from the Halo universe that was particularly impressive. I haven't played the multiplayer yet so this review is on theLet me first start by saying that I have never been a Halo fan having only played Halo 1 on the PC and not being very impressed with it. I also finished Halo 3 ODST on the Xbox and wasn't particularly impressed with that either.. Until now I haven't seen anything from the Halo universe that was particularly impressive. I haven't played the multiplayer yet so this review is on the campaign. The storyline was intriguing and well adapted. Actually one of the best single player storylines I have played in quite a few years. The controls were a bit awkward at first, straying from the typical FPS control scheme but after some play they are manageable. The graphics and dynamic environments were simply beautiful. Overall the game provided an epic story with great game mechanics. I don't know if this studio has produced other titles in the Halo world but they knocked this one out of the park.…Expand

Awesome Game which must be played.
Good: Graphics are amazing, controls are different but good,great multiplayer modes, split-screen is great, variety of modes, new enemies are interesting, the story can be understood without reading the books, tons of customization, Bad A Steep Learning Curve if you're new to Halo, Campaign is sometimes a bit too chaotic
10/10 Just Buy It Seriously

Pros:
Halo 4 is without a doubt the best looking game on the Xbox 360. The lighting is beautiful, the art direction is astounding and the tone created by the graphics perfectly matches the setting, single or multiplayer. In the campaign, the cutscenes are absolutely mind blowing to watch, as the motion capture andThe most under-appreciated game in the franchise.....why??????

Pros:
Halo 4 is without a doubt the best looking game on the Xbox 360. The lighting is beautiful, the art direction is astounding and the tone created by the graphics perfectly matches the setting, single or multiplayer. In the campaign, the cutscenes are absolutely mind blowing to watch, as the motion capture and animations are spot on.
The campaign is without a doubt the best in the series. There is a strong bond between Chief and Cortana that you don't see as clearly in the previous games. After playing (most of) Halo: CE and Halo 3 (Not Halo 2 as I do not have an original Xbox or Xbox One), I was slightly underwhelmed by the campaign modes as they just consisted of general gameplay and didn't expand the story. I felt like 343 industries got it right with Halo 4.
The sound design is awesome. I complimented CE Anniversary for having excellent sound design and it is just as good here. The weapons sound killer and the soundtrack is to die for.
Multiplayer has always been good in the Halo series, and like most things in Halo 4, the multiplayer is a huge evolution. While retaining classic game modes such as slayer, the multiplayer is expanded on with improved features. It is closer to Call of Duty rather than Halo, but it is still a lot of fun.
There is a new mode called "Spartan Ops", which is an episodic co-operative or solo mode in which you take on 5 relatively short missions for each episodes which take place after the main campaign and while they are short, there are 10 episodes (5 + 5 as a free DLC pack).

Overall, I think this is the strongest Halo game in the series and is truly underrated by fans. A stunning masterpiece.

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Halo 4, compared to its predecessors, has a darker storyline and improved graphics. But Halo 4 dosent include the Firefight mode, witch is replaced with Spartan Ops, a broken storyline of missions that dont serve any purpose what so ever. Halo 4 dosent have the kick the other Halo gamed had. I played Halo: Reach for 2 years, then Halo 4 came out and I didnt want to play it after a few months. It dosent have any staying power. The storyline is a weird and nothing is explained on why the Covenant is your enemy again.…Expand

might not be as good as it's predecessor but it doesn't fall to far from the tree, although wish it had off been a few hours longer, the games soundtrack gameplay graphics are all spectacular, I did find the story a bit dry but I was just glad to revisit the halo universe again and play as the chief

343 did a great job taking the mantle away from Bungie. The game looks great with a good story. The action is pretty good but not the best. No more dual weapon usage which was kind of a drag. The game is about 8 hours on hard and can easily be beaten on normal over a weekend. The stand out in this game is the quality of overall sound effects. The music sound great and the guns are343 did a great job taking the mantle away from Bungie. The game looks great with a good story. The action is pretty good but not the best. No more dual weapon usage which was kind of a drag. The game is about 8 hours on hard and can easily be beaten on normal over a weekend. The stand out in this game is the quality of overall sound effects. The music sound great and the guns are "punchy". But I use a amp/dac paired with Beyerdynamics. But overall a good game worth a rental but not a buy.…Expand

Halo 4 represents a bold step forward for the franchise that feels both fresh and familiar. Boasting Halo's trademark multiplayer, a gripping campaign, an experimental co-op mode and the usual gubbins, Halo 4 like all the other Halos that have come and gone, represents incredible value for money.

While every other game in the series is saving with world with some character secondary story, the campaign in Halo 4 is flipped. Saving the world seems to take a back seat to the Master Chief's quest to solve Cortana's rampancy. This makes for a more emotional story, but a less intense one as well. The saving the world story which I will not spoil doesn't seem to be given the attentionWhile every other game in the series is saving with world with some character secondary story, the campaign in Halo 4 is flipped. Saving the world seems to take a back seat to the Master Chief's quest to solve Cortana's rampancy. This makes for a more emotional story, but a less intense one as well. The saving the world story which I will not spoil doesn't seem to be given the attention it deserves. This is easily the most amped up storyline Halo series has seen, what with numerous leading up books and movies, yet the story in the game itself doesn't feel alive and fleshed out.

That is my largest complaint in a game that I like very much. The music is incredible, the environments are beautifully detailed, and the facial CG is beyond incredible. I cannot wait to play more Infinity so that I can write a follow-up to this review.

My final complaint is the complete stripped down content you get if you are not online. Never have I been so disappointed with offline content. It was an inevitability that the days of offline gaming were coming to an end, but I never imagined not even having access to a campaign scoring system, the elimination of offline firefight, just stripped down. Were it not for the lack of offline content, this game would have been a 9 for me. The lack of out-of-box value, however, has shown that 343 has largely abandoned the offline gamer, and considering that Reach, ODST, and Halo3 had plenty to keep one occupied unconnected, this step back has tarnished my view of this series;

I was fully satisfied when I finally played this Game. I'm not gonna lie, I was completely 'Halo-ed' out after Halo 3 and Reach and I was just losing interest in Halo, with plans to get a PS4!

Halo 4 is the game that not only regained my faith in the series, but also made choose to buy an XBOX One instead of a PS4. That's an accomplishment that 343 Industries should pat themselves onI was fully satisfied when I finally played this Game. I'm not gonna lie, I was completely 'Halo-ed' out after Halo 3 and Reach and I was just losing interest in Halo, with plans to get a PS4!

Halo 4 is the game that not only regained my faith in the series, but also made choose to buy an XBOX One instead of a PS4. That's an accomplishment that 343 Industries should pat themselves on the back for. Looking forward to Halo 5!…Expand

Terrific graphics, sound - standard AAA game fair there, story was compelling a rare case of a games story that made me want to keep playing to see it unfold. The problems are many here but they're par for the course for AAA fps games these days, linear level design, tiny multiplayer maps (thank you consoles, your pathetic hardware continues to hamstring us) and while compelling at the endTerrific graphics, sound - standard AAA game fair there, story was compelling a rare case of a games story that made me want to keep playing to see it unfold. The problems are many here but they're par for the course for AAA fps games these days, linear level design, tiny multiplayer maps (thank you consoles, your pathetic hardware continues to hamstring us) and while compelling at the end I came away realizing that it was the characters I cared about and to try to avoid spoiling specifics here that's going to be a huge problem going forward. The ending left me dissapointed and a bit confused as all the build up around Master chief and whether he is in fact "broken" (emotionally/socially) and if so whether that's why he's so effective is left un-resolved. the plot is paper thin your enemies also lack any real motivation but that's par for the course for the series let alone the genre...so to wrap up why have I given this a higher score then it sounds like it deserves? Because it's better then it's predecessors in every way, but it's still the same old AAA fps. And I'm feeling sympathetic reading people complaining about the games ease while admitting to playing on normal or easy and all the jaded crap about paid reviewers. It's worth the box price for what it is, but also for what it might become there's a chance for a real story in an awesome world here, admittedly not with master chief after the events of the game...…Expand

Thanks to no stop nerd complaining the user review for yet another large release is ruined. I know for so many people a catty internet complaint fest is a one way ticket to fame it makes the score pointless. In this case the game is great, go buy it. Don't know why people do the lame buy/rent it when most rental places are long gone. If you are one of those I don't like halo just getThanks to no stop nerd complaining the user review for yet another large release is ruined. I know for so many people a catty internet complaint fest is a one way ticket to fame it makes the score pointless. In this case the game is great, go buy it. Don't know why people do the lame buy/rent it when most rental places are long gone. If you are one of those I don't like halo just get over yourself and play a cool game.…Expand

The Halo series returns with a lot of new and a lot of old. Be prepared for sandbox firefight shenanigans all over again. Newbies are filled in one the experience straight up luckily, but only loosely because this is a brand new trilogy. The Master Chief returns along with his AI companion Cortana in their most thought out adventure yet. The duo first crash land into a Forerunner planet,The Halo series returns with a lot of new and a lot of old. Be prepared for sandbox firefight shenanigans all over again. Newbies are filled in one the experience straight up luckily, but only loosely because this is a brand new trilogy. The Master Chief returns along with his AI companion Cortana in their most thought out adventure yet. The duo first crash land into a Forerunner planet, Requiem after the Chief is woken up from Cryo but Cortana is descending into rampancy, a process where AI…Expand

halo but without the ability to download custom games on console. great visuals and better competitive play than reach but misses out on the key aspect of halo ... fun . A big dissapointment in hindsight but good in its own right.

graphics 10/10 abousity outstating controls perfect like every other halo game online i dont play online that much but the biggest flaw is the removal of the gamemode firefight it would have been perfect with the new enemies

What a disappointment, I've been a long time Halo fan, and in my honest opinion this is the worst in the series. Yes Halo Wars is better than this crap. The graphics and gameplay are save this game other than that I wouldn't play this. If they didn't change the Flood game mode I would have given this game a 5 because Flood was where I spent most of my time until they added the saw, assaultWhat a disappointment, I've been a long time Halo fan, and in my honest opinion this is the worst in the series. Yes Halo Wars is better than this crap. The graphics and gameplay are save this game other than that I wouldn't play this. If they didn't change the Flood game mode I would have given this game a 5 because Flood was where I spent most of my time until they added the saw, assault rifle and more to the mix because then what's the challenge this game just sucks…Expand

So after many spin-offs on Halo we finally got a 4th. Now the graphics are alot more impressive than the other Halos but the gameplay has not changed and the storyline I mean why did a fourth one have to come out so now we have a Quadrilogy and then probably a 5th and a 6th and a 7th, but in the end I will say that Halo 4 is the best Halo since Halo 3 and probably the best FPS game of the year.

Doggy-chew for the fanboys. Don't expect any originality or new content for that matter here. Don't believe me? Look at the 10's. Save your money and go buy a quality FPS, like Half Life. Anything beat this turd of a game, really.

Don't listen to the people that are giving this amazing game a bad score, this game is easily 10/10, outstanding story, visually the best looking game on the Xbox 360, and fun addicting online multiplayer. To the people that are giving this game 0-4, their just CoD fanboys that are thrashing this game. Buy this game!!!

Count me in the minority on this one. I don't know if it's because I was used to the greatness of the Bungie Halo games or what, but I was severely disappointed in Halo 4. It didn't have firefight. The multiplayer is full of glitches. The story is pathetically mundane. And the spec ops missions were the most boring, repetitive things ever. This list of annoyances goes on and on.

I willCount me in the minority on this one. I don't know if it's because I was used to the greatness of the Bungie Halo games or what, but I was severely disappointed in Halo 4. It didn't have firefight. The multiplayer is full of glitches. The story is pathetically mundane. And the spec ops missions were the most boring, repetitive things ever. This list of annoyances goes on and on.

I will say the cutscenes had probably the best graphics I've ever seen. And the game overall is a slightly entertaining diversion. But the fact I traded it back in way earlier than all the other Halo games I've owned speaks for itself.…Expand

Distinct sense of "Meh" - the Halo storylines have become weaker and weaker since the original. The single-player campaign is of course graphically gorgeous, but boring and unmotivated as all heck. The enemy AI is seriously dumb; the one redeeming quality is the ability to play coop.

I'm going to save my opinion on the whole 'necessity' to have a fourth installment of the Halo Franchise for a different time, as it is concurrently different from the opinion of the game in it's own context. Anyhow, before people start flagging my review down before their own sensibilities will bereft them from any kind of review that isn't a 9 or 10, I get why you guys like this game:I'm going to save my opinion on the whole 'necessity' to have a fourth installment of the Halo Franchise for a different time, as it is concurrently different from the opinion of the game in it's own context. Anyhow, before people start flagging my review down before their own sensibilities will bereft them from any kind of review that isn't a 9 or 10, I get why you guys like this game: It's got all this awesome lore to behold that any person with a pencil in hand will draw out soldier stories from the UNSC, I'm glad that you like all these visual graphics that have a huge scope on 'epic', but it's nothing to me. The graphics are just eye candy to hide all the uglier things about the game away. And the lore is only as important as you put your head into it, and if lore requires you to go into different mediums in order to understand anything, than you've failed at making a game worth of narrative, as is what this game does somewhat. Anyhow, as for the story, Master Chief and Cortana, after without any thought decided to go on into interstellar stasis for four years, come across an 'unknown' forerunner planet harvested by a new breed of alien to be feared (OOGA OOGA BOOGA) as the Promethians, which apart from their little surveyor drones and lights affixed like christmas ornaments around their body, work in AI almost the same way as the Covenant forces, meaning, bad. Enemies still go out in the daylight to greet your bullet barrel, which I would understand by the nature of the grunts, but the Elites? The Elites have been not only dumbed down but also lost a lot of their resilience to bullets, often being killable after their short-handed shields get depleted. Brutes are not present, for some reason, and the Promethein forces are not that variable, with nothing but "Knights", Surveyors and what I've been calling hell hounds, the little dog things that drop an infinite load of boltshots if you kill them, which usually takes one hit. Anyhow, for the weapons. A lot of the weapons from Reach and Halo 3 have returned in Halo 4, as you can now equip a DMR and Battle Rifle at the same time, including a touch of new weapons from all three forces, such as the Rail Gun, SAW, Storm Rifle and the famous Promethein weapons. The Promethein weapons are by far the best with the most stopping power and a neat little particle effect when you kill them (they distintegrate!). But other than the dialogue of the characters, which has seen a definite marked improvement, this game is colluded with a lot of confusing buzz words (composer, didact, forerunner, yadda yadda yah) and is not difficult in the slightest. Most of the time my friend and I got killed out of our own stupidity rather than by the difficulty curve (also, yet another QTE kill of the main boss). One small improvement is that the chief can now sprint (rather than being a 'pickable' ability), and some of the new abilities are much more helpful, such as a mobile drop shield and mini surveyor bot. And as I said, the graphic are pretty, but only serve to get you caught up in it so that they can mask away the aforementioned grievances above. I had my doubts about 343, but at least they didn't absolutely disgrace me with a pile of dog crap. They just gave me a rote, by the numbers game that attempts to pump more into it just to keep this aging franchise stagnant rather than dead.…Expand

The Master Chef returns with all new recipes and cooking supplies. I had an okay time with this game. The story was easily the worst part (but that's nothing new for Halo), but it looked great and played perfectly. The Multiplayer is very good as well, not much more to say about that. It's good. The score was a bit of a letdown and you can definitely tell this was not made by Bungie. It'sThe Master Chef returns with all new recipes and cooking supplies. I had an okay time with this game. The story was easily the worst part (but that's nothing new for Halo), but it looked great and played perfectly. The Multiplayer is very good as well, not much more to say about that. It's good. The score was a bit of a letdown and you can definitely tell this was not made by Bungie. It's lacking a certain Halo feel, which it makes up for in all new sounds for the guns (all sorts of pew-pews in this game, all sorts). Nothing revolutionary and will be quickly forgotten once Halo 5 comes out, but it's still fun.…Expand

well, looks like all CoD and BF3 fanboys have joined at a bigger threat than Call of Duty and Battlefield will never be able to defeat. Halo 4 goes back to basics and takes a new route, it's good. Worth buying

Well what can I say. Halo 4 has come along and absolutely blown me away. It's truly amazing. Graphically the best game I've seen on any console and emotionally gorgeous.. Touching
. Sure people are trying to bring it,down all over the internet, but there are just as many if not more telling you how amazing it is. I've played every halo game since ce. and played halo 3 almost every dayWell what can I say. Halo 4 has come along and absolutely blown me away. It's truly amazing. Graphically the best game I've seen on any console and emotionally gorgeous.. Touching
. Sure people are trying to bring it,down all over the internet, but there are just as many if not more telling you how amazing it is. I've played every halo game since ce. and played halo 3 almost every day since ltd release in 2007. In my opinion halo reach was the worst. and halo 4 brings it back to the classic halo feel. Sound effects are beautiful. 20k games of halo 3 and I loved every one. Halo 4 is gonna be the same. Ignore the trolling critics on here as well! Halo 4 has best black ops 2. Sorry trolls. Even your trolling can't bring this game down. Haha cyan…Expand

A pretty crappy halo game but a decent shooter on it's own I suppose. Compared to the skill and replay value of the bungie halo games.... This one is a joke. But I guess one can have fun with it for a week or so...

I think I must have overhyped myself because I didn't feel stunned by the visuals when I first popped it in. Yes, they looks great but I think I had seen to many screen shots that I really expected to be blown away but when I popped it in it was what I had already seen. Having read the two Forerunner trilogy books prior to playing this I was excited to see how the forerunner, given thereI think I must have overhyped myself because I didn't feel stunned by the visuals when I first popped it in. Yes, they looks great but I think I had seen to many screen shots that I really expected to be blown away but when I popped it in it was what I had already seen. Having read the two Forerunner trilogy books prior to playing this I was excited to see how the forerunner, given there history with the human race, would be poised in this game. For those of you have read both and then played the game you were certainly understand when I say that the game does a fantastic job of lightly tying into the books and then making major pieces of the game way better. Bottom line, the campaign was great and music made it epic, and it no way let me down which was a bit of a concern the month before launch. The online was quite a shock. It didn't feel like Halo, borrowed a lot from Call of Duty but it still felt true to its nature. It took some getting used to but now I love it. The various changes they made felt forced at first but once I though about it I felt like they fit better in the Halo universe than anything else I could imagine them doing and another online like 3 or reach was not an option so it was a good compromise. I dabbled in the first episode of Spartan Ops and I like that it was a fairly smooth experience and other than the occasionally crappy teammate who just killed everyone else, it was actually a lot of fun. Halo is definitely in my top 3 this year and with the amount I keep going back to it I expect it will continue to move up. As I know some people are Halo-adverse I can't say I would recommend it to everyone, but if you are the kind of person that has ever had the slightest interest in Halo, this is an awesome point to jump in.…Expand

A breath of fresh air. Like REACH was to its predecessors. Simply the best looking and playing game i have experienced since probably Final Fantasy 7 on PS1. Better looking than Crysis 3. It will put a grin on your face. Elating/ emotional

Simply put, it's outstanding. The campaign is an emotional roller-coaster ride that firmly embraces the deep and rich lore of the Halo universe, Multiplayer makes the right adjustments to keep up with the Joneses but more than maintains that classic halo feel, Forge is better than ever, and the new addition, Spartan Ops, is an absolute blast to play with friends! Tons of game and contentSimply put, it's outstanding. The campaign is an emotional roller-coaster ride that firmly embraces the deep and rich lore of the Halo universe, Multiplayer makes the right adjustments to keep up with the Joneses but more than maintains that classic halo feel, Forge is better than ever, and the new addition, Spartan Ops, is an absolute blast to play with friends! Tons of game and content here, and it is all firmly planted in classic Halo style. Sound design is absolutely fantastic, with a stirring score (although no where near Marty's mastery at Bungie) incredible gun sounds, and bar to none the best virtual performances I have ever witnessed in a shooter. The graphics are stellar, and the mechanics feel perfect. There are a couple moments during the campaign where the AI has a brain fart, or some weird graphical issue pops up, but aside from that this is an incredibly well polished presentation and package. Please don't listen to the trolls, Halo 4 is fantastic and the series is in good hands.…Expand

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view.
Halo 4 is a masterstroke everyone can and should celebrate, and its two guaranteed sequels instantly make the next-generation Xbox a must-own system, with Halo 5 its most anticipated title. Halo has been rebuilt. It has been redefined. And it has been reinvigorated. The Xbox's original king has returned to his rightful place on the throne.…Expand

While Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if youWhile Halo 4 (Xbox 360) is a fantastic, enjoyable game with amazing graphics, it could have been so much more. I have loved the halo franchise from the original Combat Evolved to Halo Reach, but Halo 4 just didn't have the full package I was hoping for. The campaign was short, repetitive and linear. When I say linear, I mean canyons and corridors. You will know exactly what I mean if you have played the previous games. There is simply not enough open, widespread areas that make you gasp in awe at the size of them.

There was one particular sequence that I loved, which involved riding on a giant tank (very similar to the sequence in Gears of War 2) while defending it but it didn't last long enough, and guess what?...The tank was driving through yet another linear canyon The sequence could have had so much more added to it to make it worthy of the Halo franchise. An example of a worthy Halo chapter was the epic final battle in Halo 3, where you are battling infantry, scarabs, ghosts, wraiths etc. That battle just made me jump for joy while I was playing it. Sadly there is no, i repeat, NO epic battles in this game at all.

I got the feeling that the new makers, 343 Industries were too busy trying to put everything from the old halo games in that they forgot that the fans also want something new. The new enemies (rogue covenant and the prometheans) are boring and have absolutely zero personality compared to the Covenant in Halo 3, who I began to have respect for towards the end of the game. The new weapons aren't new they are just the same old weapons turned orange, with different sound effects
The storyline was very vague in explaining what the enemies actually want which is, in my opinion a very important factor to take into account. Why are they doing what they are doing? The most disappointing part of the campaign is the boss battle. I was hoping for a showdown that would take me loads of attemps to beat but......no.....It lasted 3 seconds and most of it was a cutscene.

The multiplayer is pretty much the same. The maps are uninspiring and I can't pick out anything new or innovative apart from changing the NAMES of some of the game types. Not very exciting....i mean...come on...game NAMES??? Who cares?? However, there is one new game type that I love: Dominion. It involves capturing bases, fortifying them with shields and turrets, and then defending them from the enemy. This involves tactic and teamwork, which is something that I think the previous halo game types didn't have enough of. But...This does not make up for the disappointment of the rest of the game.

The fact is, halo has so much potential. The halo universe is a brilliant creation and there is so much that can be added to it. It's practically limitless...... so why didn't they add anything?? Beats me??!…Expand

I'm not sure what game some people are playing but it doesn't seem like it's Halo 4. Somebody said they can aim with the left bumper, I still have to click the right stick. And comparing this with MW3 is like comparing Cristiano Ronaldo with Bob McDonald from our Sunday league team. The single player is classic Halo with a few extras thrown in and much better graphics. The MP is excellentI'm not sure what game some people are playing but it doesn't seem like it's Halo 4. Somebody said they can aim with the left bumper, I still have to click the right stick. And comparing this with MW3 is like comparing Cristiano Ronaldo with Bob McDonald from our Sunday league team. The single player is classic Halo with a few extras thrown in and much better graphics. The MP is excellent and 343 have added loadouts and weapon drops but they fit the Halo profile perfectly and add a bit extra to the game. I love the 6 or so hours I've played so far and I think it's going to sit in my drive for a few months to come.…Expand

Meh. It's a good game, but seriously, Call of Duty is actually better. Halo's weapon selection, gameplay, variety of enemies, storyline, graphics (sort of), etc. just make it a shooter that's not necessarily worth the $60.

This game was nothing short of amazing. Musical score, graphics, weapons, story, characters, voice acting, facial animations, sound design, level and map design, enemy AI, vehicles...oh God EVERYTHING in this game is BEYOND excellent!! I had a fantastic time playing through the campaign...which is a VERY emotional story! I was left awed by the realistic CGI, and the theatrical quality ofThis game was nothing short of amazing. Musical score, graphics, weapons, story, characters, voice acting, facial animations, sound design, level and map design, enemy AI, vehicles...oh God EVERYTHING in this game is BEYOND excellent!! I had a fantastic time playing through the campaign...which is a VERY emotional story! I was left awed by the realistic CGI, and the theatrical quality of the scenes and dialogue. Halo 4 is the BEST installment in the series, and is by far the BEST console exclusive this year...if not for the past few years!! No game can compare to this game. Not even close. I'm STOKED for Halo 5!! If you don't own an Xbox 360....now is the time to get one :p…Expand

2nd best Halo to me behind 3. The gameplay as well as the campaign was very good. I would put this on the same level as 3 but the online community features in this game are lacking. Halo 3 was memorable because of forge and being able to easily share and download maps or game types, which was nonexistent in this.

After having played many great games in 2012, Halo 4 would be my pick for Game of the Year. By far the greatest Halo game. Good story, great presentation and pacing. Gameplay and weapons the best of any Halo game yet. This renders Halo 3 about unplayable and makes Halo Reach look dated, and that's just the stellar Campaign mode. Really just started playing multiplayer shooters lastAfter having played many great games in 2012, Halo 4 would be my pick for Game of the Year. By far the greatest Halo game. Good story, great presentation and pacing. Gameplay and weapons the best of any Halo game yet. This renders Halo 3 about unplayable and makes Halo Reach look dated, and that's just the stellar Campaign mode. Really just started playing multiplayer shooters last year BF3, Transformers FOC and I really enjoy Halo 4 Multiplayer.. Multiplayer is not as deep as BF3, but man it is awesome fun. Don't know what these low reviewers think they should have done better, probably prefer zombie or kiddie games, but I feel this is the must have Xbox game of 2012!…Expand

Halo 4 is an absolute glorious addition to the franchise. The main reason a lot of people get Halo is for the online. The multiplayer mode is excellent that has the combat more fast paced and exhilarating than previous Halo's. I just can't put my finger on it, but the game just feels a little Call of Duty-esque, just very little, but it is a true Halo game. One nice addition to multiplayerHalo 4 is an absolute glorious addition to the franchise. The main reason a lot of people get Halo is for the online. The multiplayer mode is excellent that has the combat more fast paced and exhilarating than previous Halo's. I just can't put my finger on it, but the game just feels a little Call of Duty-esque, just very little, but it is a true Halo game. One nice addition to multiplayer is the ability to make custom classes with different abilities and weapons with many possibilities. I also love that you can customize how your character looks in multiplayer, so each player will look unique. The game not only plays great, but looks and sounds fantastic. For 2012, the graphics are absolutely incredible with dynamic lighting, textures, and has a nice glossy look. The game score is composed by a different composer from previous Halo's, and the style of the music is definitely different. Past Halo's were very prominent with heavy percussion and simple orchestrations and synthesizers here and there. On the score, the music sounds a lot more in your face with lots of orchestrations and can sometimes feel a little over the top and overproduced but all in all, it's a very good score. Now to the campaign. The campaign adds new enemies, the Forerunners, which gives you a breathe of fresh air from always combating the Covenant. Each missions is awesome to play and fairly lengthy. The story really shines with the Master Chief and Cortana. I won't give to much away, but the developers really expanded with their connection and have a lot more personal dialogue between the two. Their chemistry in this game is superb and beautiful, and I've never seen any other two characters in video games or movies that has even come close to matching. You know a game is amazing when the story makes you cry, especially when it's the only game to make you do that. I won't spoil anything, but the game ending is so heartfelt and cordial that left me in tears and may leave you in tears. Halo 4 is a game that everybody should play.…Expand

This game is over hyped in my honest opinion. Not that its a bad game, its a solid shooter polished to a high sheen over numerous iterations since the original Halo: Combat Evolved. The problem for me is that it doesn't do anything new, fresh or innovative. Even the levels feel like they have been stripped directly from previous Halo games. Really, its just the same old Halo FPS many of usThis game is over hyped in my honest opinion. Not that its a bad game, its a solid shooter polished to a high sheen over numerous iterations since the original Halo: Combat Evolved. The problem for me is that it doesn't do anything new, fresh or innovative. Even the levels feel like they have been stripped directly from previous Halo games. Really, its just the same old Halo FPS many of us used to love, but are perhaps a bit jaded on and tired of now. The story doesn't do anything to reinvigorate the universe either. IMO some mysteries like the "who are the Forerunner?" should never have been answered. Pulling back the curtain reveals how poor the writers really are at science fiction. It really is an unnecessary addition to the universe and has thoroughly put me off the Halo universe for a lifetime. I'm not even interested in seeing a Halo movie after playing poor man Star Wars wannabe.... The levels and missions are some of the most linear and narrow of the entire Halo series, even worse than some of the horrendous railway tracks of Halo 2. There is only one level that stood out as expansive, choice driven mission, but after replaying it a second time that is actually a clever illusion and in fact you are kept on the critical path just as strictly as the first level. Add to that the inability to play the coop mode 'Spartan Ops' offline without a gold membership and the fact they only made the single player, secret terminal videos accessible via Halo Waypoint (which also requires a paid for membership - fu M$!) and unless your a Halo multiplayer PvP junky, then there isn't much to enjoy here.…Expand

Excellent addition to the halo series, Halo 4 boasts great graphics, awesome looking cut scenes, voice acting, and classic Halo gameplay. If your a fan on halo you will not be let down. The Prometheans are fairly cool and their wepons are pretty sweet too. As far as the story goes it was pretty good, but not once did i feel like i had a grip on what was going on, its never super clear onExcellent addition to the halo series, Halo 4 boasts great graphics, awesome looking cut scenes, voice acting, and classic Halo gameplay. If your a fan on halo you will not be let down. The Prometheans are fairly cool and their wepons are pretty sweet too. As far as the story goes it was pretty good, but not once did i feel like i had a grip on what was going on, its never super clear on what is happening or why your in a specific location and so on. Multiplayer is what youd expect from halo, great. Overall Halo 4 is an awesome game that any fan should go out and buy.…Expand

Incredible game. It's a shame such an obvious smear campaign is marring a great game's review. The value of this game is amazing. The story is more involved and the cinematics are Hollywood quality. 343 do please keep up the phenomenal work.

I was excited to play this game. I had watched the Forward Until Dawn series and several of the other CG webisodes that had to do with special ops. It looked like they really wanted to take Halo to the next level and advance the plot. All of the marketing for this game was top notch, however the game was not. I was amazed at how little the game felt like it had evolved from the very firstI was excited to play this game. I had watched the Forward Until Dawn series and several of the other CG webisodes that had to do with special ops. It looked like they really wanted to take Halo to the next level and advance the plot. All of the marketing for this game was top notch, however the game was not. I was amazed at how little the game felt like it had evolved from the very first incarnation of Halo. The in game plot did not live up to the standard set by all the marketing. As far as I could tell there were only 3 cutscenes that were rendered at cinema quality, the rest seemed to be rendered with the in-game engine. I played the campaign co-op, and repeatedly had to deal with being respawned over empty space or in front of walls on vehicle levels. The AI was unimpressive for the current generation of FPS games. This is the Halo game that will make me stop playing Halo.…Expand

I've been with Halo since the beginning. I beat Halo 1 and 2 100 times, and I hyped the s**t out of Halo 3. The first three halos are the best. ODST and Reach were not my favourites. But this. This is not Halo. This is just a shell of Halo. When I heard they were making a Halo 4 I was rather excited getting to see what happens to Master Chief. But this is lousy. In terms of graphics andI've been with Halo since the beginning. I beat Halo 1 and 2 100 times, and I hyped the s**t out of Halo 3. The first three halos are the best. ODST and Reach were not my favourites. But this. This is not Halo. This is just a shell of Halo. When I heard they were making a Halo 4 I was rather excited getting to see what happens to Master Chief. But this is lousy. In terms of graphics and gameplay its nice and stable, but the story and the impact on the Halo universe it has is awful.
I always wanted to see what Forerunners looked like, but now that I do know I wish I never saw them. I wish Bungie had left it at Halo 3, but no, Microsoft had to push for a 4.
Screw this COD clone. I do not acknowledge this as a Halo game.…Expand

As a 10 year Halo veteran, I must say that I am very impressed with what 343i has accomplished here. Halo 4 is an excellent game! The campaign, while NOT perfect, was put together very well. The multiplayer experience feels fresh and new, and everything is balanced very well (Including the Armor Abilities). The Forge mode has taken a huge step up from Reach with all the new additions andAs a 10 year Halo veteran, I must say that I am very impressed with what 343i has accomplished here. Halo 4 is an excellent game! The campaign, while NOT perfect, was put together very well. The multiplayer experience feels fresh and new, and everything is balanced very well (Including the Armor Abilities). The Forge mode has taken a huge step up from Reach with all the new additions and dynamic lighting. However, the custom games has actually taken a step down from from past games due to less customization. Spartan Ops has got to be the worst part of Halo 4, it just isn't a worthy successor to Firefight. Overall, Halo 4 is a solid game that everyone ought to play. Well done 343i :D…Collapse

The narrative is outstanding, even in spite of a few plot-point missteps, and the character evolution of Master Chief and Cortana deserves to be further explored with these wonderful storytellers (well, maybe one of them can't happen, but I'll avoid spoilers). However, the gameplay feels jilted, awkward and unrefined, three unforgivable sins in a landscape populated with other quite-capable FPS franchises. As a result, I'm going to average everything out: great story plus bad gameplay equals an average experience. And in this overcrowded FPS genre, "average" is isn't something I'd recommend buying.